Few last-minute tree sales at local shops

O Christmas tree! Dozens of evergreens remained on SouthCoast lots Sunday afternoon, and shoppers were scarce, as signs suggest that more families may be forgoing the traditional Yuletide fir.

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By NATALIE SHERMAN

southcoasttoday.com

By NATALIE SHERMAN

Posted Dec. 24, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 24, 2012 at 8:02 AM

By NATALIE SHERMAN

Posted Dec. 24, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 24, 2012 at 8:02 AM

» Social News

NEW BEDFORD — O Christmas tree! Dozens of evergreens remained on SouthCoast lots Sunday afternoon, and shoppers were scarce, as signs suggest that more families may be forgoing the traditional Yuletide fir.

Fragrant balsams filled the front of The Potting Bench Sunday, which will remain open Christmas Eve and Christmas morning to capture any last-minute sales.

"Tree sales I think are slightly down this year," said manager Danielle Priebe, who said the shop typically stocks between 400 and 600 trees and said the remainder will be donated or used as mulch. "You try to do the best you can."

Fifty-six percent of Americans have or plan to buy an artificial tree this year and 26 percent won't have a tree at all, according to a poll issued Friday by Canadian public opinion research firm Angus Reid.

That squares with what Priebe, who started selling artificial trees — some fully decorated — about 12 years ago, said she has seen locally.

"I had at least three customers come in for their greens and say they weren't getting a tree this year," she said, adding that sales of other decorations, such as wreathes, remain steady. "I don't know if it's trending more toward artificial."

Christmas tree sales are strongest the first two weekends after Thanksgiving said retailers, who benefited from extra days this year because Thanksgiving fell relatively early in November.

But last-minute sales do happen, they said, especially with families with children returning home late in the month or those hoping to snare a last-minute markdown on firs that can run as high as $60.

"We're pretty confident we're going to sell out," said John George Jr. of John George Farms in Dartmouth, who had about 30 trees left on Sunday, although he admitted that the idea of artificial trees gave him heart palpitations. "Christmas is not for a fake tree. ... Christmas is about a real tree," he said.

Katie Gonsalves, 47, of Lakeville, who was picking up last-minute mistletoe for her Christmas Eve open house at the Freetown Trading Post Sunday, said her family sticks to live trees. This year, the tree her husband selected is so big she had to buy two extra strings of lights to cover it fully.